President Mahama Orders Recall of Diplomatic and Service Passports.

By Caroline Ameh

The Ghanaian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has issued a final directive for the recall of Diplomatic and Service Passports issued under the previous administration. The recall follows an earlier public announcement on January 15, 2025, outlining affected individuals.

According to the Ministry, a total of 404 Diplomatic Passports and 387 Service Passports remain unreturned despite previous notices. Holders of these passports have been given a deadline of March 17, 2025, to surrender them to the Legal and Treaties Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The categories of individuals required to return their passports include: All Former Ministers and their spouses, former Members of Parliament, regardless of political affiliation, former members of the Council of State and their spouses, former Regional Ministers, Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives, and former and retired Justices of the Superior and Lower Courts.
Others include: former chairs and members of boards of state institutions, officials associated with the National Cathedral Project, former Political Ambassadors and their dependents, businesspersons and entrepreneurs and former government functionaries.

Also, any individual holding an official passport but not currently serving in an official state capacity is to surrender them to the appropriate authority.

The Ministry warned that passports not surrendered by the deadline will be cancelled and placed on a Stop Watch List, making them subject to seizure at Ghana’s entry and exit points.

The move aligns with the Passports and Travel Certificates Act, 1967 (NLCD 155), which governs the issuance and revocation of official travel documents in Ghana.

President John Mahama was sworn-in as President of Ghana on 7th January, 2025. He has made significant changes since taking office. One of the notable changes is the reduction of Ministers from 30 to 23. The call of these category of passports is perhaps targeted at getting a firm grip of the government.

John Mahama was first elected as President of Ghana in the December 2012 election, after initially taking office on July 24, 2012, following the death of President John Atta Mills . Prior to his presidency, Mahama served as Vice President of Ghana from January 2009 to July 2012